Met. Nicholas Celebrates Feast of Entry of Theotokos at ROCOR Synodal Cathedral

Met. Nicholas celebrates the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. Photo: T. Veselkina/Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese

NEW YORK — On Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, Met. Nicholas of Eastern America and New York celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign.

As shared by the Eastern American Diocese, concelebrating with the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR) were cathedral clergy: dean Archpriest Andrei Sommer, Archpriest Seraphim Chemodakov, and Protodeacon Serge Arlievsky. The Synodal choir sang under the direction of Isaiah Trofimenko, as parishioners and faithful from across the area gathered for the service, with most receiving Holy Communion.

After the Liturgy, Met. Nicholas greeted worshippers and emphasized the need for attentive, inner participation in prayer. "The Most Pure Virgin spent years in prayer, reading, obedience, and silence, and became the Birthgiver of God. We too have every opportunity to raise ourselves up in this way… We ought to think on this, and try to come to God’s church properly for our formation, in order to come to our senses and be spiritually reborn."

His Eminence also noted that the feast coincides with the commemoration of Holy Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow on the anniversary of his enthronement in 1917. "Here in church we keep the ryassa, icon, and relics of the Holy Hierarch Tikhon, and today he is with us — his prayers, his protection, and his example: not to abandon God’s church, not to abandon the Faith… Let us pray to him, that we too might preserve the Orthodox Faith throughout the world, not compromising, and remaining in the canonical Church."

Previously, UOJ reported that Met. Nicholas led the funeral for Protodeacon Nicolas Mokhoff.

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